Wander Report: Raven Rock State Park - Lillington, NC & Aviator Brewery - Fuquay Varina, NC

Raven Rock State Park

Just a short trip down Hwy 421 from Greensboro, NC is a wonderful little gem in the North Carolina State Park System. Raven Rock State Park is located in Lillington, NC. We had a group of approximately 30 people ages 2 and up. It was an unusually warm Saturday for February and the parking lot was close to full when we got there around 9:45 AM.

The park is not a far drive from Raleigh, so I can imagine it is a popular destination for day hikers to get away from the city for a little while.

We hiked the Raven Rock Loop Trail which is listed as a 2.6 mile loop. The mileage is accurate and we added the trail down to the fish traps as well. Total mileage ended up at 4 miles.

The hike is a great hike for kids of all ages. The trail is not difficult and in the beginning follows a creek through the forest. About a mile into the hike, you reach the stairs down to Raven Rock on the shore of the Cape Fear River. There, you can explore the area around the 150 foot rock wall and marvel at the beauty of the trees, rocks and river. There had been some significant rain the week leading up to our hike, so the river was very high and muddy. On a normal day there would be more fishing on the river, but conditions were not favorable this day.

Our kids really enjoyed the rock and we spent most of our time around this feature.

Unfortunately, there is some graffiti around Raven Rock, but luckily it is not terribly noticeable until you get up close.

After you climb back up the stairs and head further up the trail, you reach the overlook. A beautiful vista of the Cape Fear River and it's surroundings. This is a good photo opportunity here.

Raven Rock Overlook

We added the Fish Traps section on to our hike, but there was really nothing down this trail. The trail leads you back down to the river, and I imagine there is usually fishing going on. Again, I think it was due to the high waters that no one was fishing.

There are some great backcountry camping opportunities in the park and I look forward to returning and getting a chance to experience this.

Route: Raven Rock Loop Trail with Fish Traps Trail added
Distance: 4 miles
Elevation Change: 300 Feet
Difficulty: Easy, some stairs
Date: 2/20/16

Longleaf Pine in Raven Rock State Park

We finished our hike in about 2-1/2 hours and headed to Fuquay Varina to try Aviator Brewery.

Aviator Smokehouse

Aviator Brewery is located in the mid town section of Fuquay Varina. There is the brewery on one side of the street and across the street they have a smokehouse restaurant. We chose the Smokehouse since we had quite a few children in our group and they were very accommodating to our group of 25.

The food was excellent, but the beer was what we came for. I started off with the Saison de Aviator with Habanero. It was a typical farmhouse style but the habanero was the star of the show. I am partial to heat so I enjoyed this brew, but without the pepper it would have been quite underwhelming.

Next, the Wide Open Red was poured. This was a delicious hoppy red ale that looked as good as it tasted. Color was a brown with hint of red and a good head. The taste of malts, caramel and bitter hops blended nicely with a crisp finish.

Finally, I ended on the Frost Nipper. I really dig winter ales, and this was a nice offering. It was a nice deep red color. There was some spice in the ale, but nutmeg seemed to dominate the taste. It wasn't my favorite winter ale, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Wander Report: Crowder's Trail - Crowders Mountain State Park, NC

One of the many boulders on Crowder's Trail.

Route: Crowder's Trail from Park office to Backside trail
Distance: 6 miles total (out and back)
Elevation change: 686 ft.
Difficulty: Moderate (mainly due to the distance of the hike)
Date: 1/9/2016

Crowders Mountain State Park is located just south of Charlotte in Gaston County. This was our first trip to this state park. The weather was overcast with a dense fog. Temperatures were around 50 degrees.

The area had received quite a bit of rainfall in the week leading up to our hike, so we were a little worried about the trail conditions. Thankfully, there was not an issue with mud and/or slippery conditions on the trails we navigated.

The hike began at the park office and begins with a small drop in elevation for the first quarter mile. The climb up Crowder's Trail is a rolling climb that is very subtle. There are a couple of foot bridges over small creeks in the first mile and we met some volunteers in this first mile that were doing trail maintenance on a connecting trail. Crowder's trail does cross a state road around the one mile mark.

Volunteers on Crowder's Trail

The meandering trail weaved through thick forest that included many rock outcrops and beautiful trees (even in winter time with no leaves). Our group included kids as young as 2 years old. The trail is a good hike for kids 5 and up to hike the complete trail. A few of the younger kids did need to be carried for portions of the trail.

At the end of Crowder's Trail, we met up with the Backside trail to the summit of the mountain. This was a short .4 mile hike up a gravel trail and ultimately 316 +/- wooden railroad tie steps. Along the gravel portion you can view the rock faces that many rock climbers tackle. With the wet conditions, we did not witness any rock climbing. This .4 mile section is the hardest part of the climb as you will gain about 420 feet on this portion alone.

stairs on Backside Trail

From the top of the mountain, I wish I could say the views were breathtaking and awe-inspiring, but with the dense fog, we had very limited views. I look forward to coming back in better weather to see the real majesty of this mountain.

A foggy summit at Crowders Mountain

From the summit, we returned back the way we came. Over all it took us 3 hours and 15 minutes, which is a pretty good pace for kids. If you are not sure if your group can handle the full 6 mile trek, you can park a car at the trailhead of Backside trail to cut the hike in half. The moderate rating is purely for the distance of this hike.

The trail is a popular trail for hikers and runners. Since the weather was a little daunting, I can only imagine how crowded this trail could be on a clear day. We were hiking on a Saturday and we started around 10:30 AM.

Skittles' favorite tree on the hike

Our group of kids at the summit with Buddy Bison

Not Every Hike is a Perfect Day - Morrow Mountain State Park

Let's get this year off on the right foot (and left). We awoke this morning to Skittles and the Doobs greeting us at the bed. "Are we going hiking today?" they said. This is the best feeling in the world, to have my two children as excited about getting on the trails as my wife and I are. Of course, it is the first day in about a week and a half that we have had a full day with no rain and it has been longer than we have gone all year since our last hike.

We had been planning this hike all week in preparation of the new year. Our State Parks System is celebrating it's centennial anniversary this year and many parks hosted First Day hikes this weekend in our state.

The family headed south to Morrow Mountain State Park. It is nestled near the Uwharrie National Forest area and is neighbored by the PeeDee River basin. It is about an hour and twenty minute drive from the Greensboro area. The family decided on the Morrow Mountain trail for our adventure.

As with many families consisting of children under 6, we had some delays and got to the park about 2:00 PM. We decided to start from the top of the mountain and use the Mountain Loop Trail as somewhat of a warm up to our hike. The Mountain Loop trail is about .6 miles and is a loop around the summit of the mountain. The views are amazing, but beware the trail is quite narrow and has a loose rock trail in many areas. I was on edge, literally, every time my 4 year old would try and jog to catch up with her sister and mother. The drop off is very steep in sections but the views are awesome.

Dad, Skittles and the Doobs on the Mountain Loop trail in Morrow Mountain State Park.

Then, we connected to the Morrow Mountain Trail and began the descent. The trail is listed as a 2.6 mile one way hike on the State Park site, but beware, some of the popular apps are incorrect in describing this trail as a loop. Near the top of the mountain, the beginning of our hike, it is quite steep and the trail does not flow in switchbacks. It is straight vertical and can be slippery in places. About half way down the descent, my kids were already telling me they were tired. 

So, here we were in a predicament. Not only were we fighting tired legs on the kids, daylight was now a factor. Knowing that we were going to be carrying our two young ones back up the hill, my wife and I begrudgingly decided to turn around and head back about a mile into the trail. So, our day was cut shorter than we had planned and hoped, but we were all excited to be back outside and on the trail even for a brief amount of time.

I cannot give an official review of this trail knowing that we did not complete it, but what I can tell you is that this trail is no joke for young children. I also would recommend starting low at the Museum on the Sugar Loaf trail and connecting to the Morrow Mountain trail and climb. Starting from the top is not the most exciting route in my opinion, but I am a big fan of getting rewarded with the view at the top after climbing (not at the start if the climb).

So, we will consider this our warm up for our hiking club outing next weekend. The park looks amazing and we will be back later in the spring to give it a little more attention.